Behind The Door
by MadnessJones
Summary: G1: Sparkplug comes across a deadly secret that the Autobots have kept hidden for millions of years, and now must figure out how to survive when danger and intrigue lurk around every corner. Takes place before the '86 movie.
1. Moving Day

_Author's Notes: This fic is another challenge I've decided to take on. I don't write scary stories, and I wondered if I can, so I'm writing this story to find out. This plot bunny has been in the back of my mind for a few weeks now, and hopefully this story turns out alright. I hope you enjoy it, and please review, favorite, or follow if you want to :)_

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Chapter 1

Moving Day

The Autobots were busy on the Ark as they prepared to move most of their equipment to the new location of Autobot City. Sparkplug, Spike, and Carly were all busy happily helping their friends to load their stuff onto the transport trucks that were going to the new city. Things were hectic and tiring, but no one was complaining.

"Wait, you mean it's actually an _Autobot_?" Spike asked Ratchet.

"Yep. His name's Metroplex. He's one of the living cities," Ratchet explained, "There used to be dozens of them, but Metroplex is the only one left. The rest were killed off long ago. Now he's going to help us here on earth."

"But why did you move him from Cybertron?" Carly asked.

"Well, to tell the truth, things are getting pretty serious back on Cybertron," Ratchet said solemnly, "Megatron has moved most of his vital forces back to Cybertron, and they're not fooling around anymore. We have to do whatever it takes to protect our planet and the allied planets that have helped us over the years. That includes earth. Many of us will have to return to Cybertron, but we're also sending some of our best troops to protect earth. Ultra Magnus will be their commander."

"Oh yeah?" Spike asked, "What's he like? Is he nice?"

"Nice enough, but very single-minded," Ratchet explained, "Think of Prowl, but with more of a military background."

"But you're all soldiers," Carly pointed out, "How could he have more of a military background than Prowl?"

"Because Ultra Magnus was a soldier before the war broke out," Ratchet answered, "He was entrusted with Cybertron's welfare while Optimus Prime was gone. The only one left on Cybertron that outranks Ultra Magnus is Elita One, but she is from a different unit altogether. Now, the new recruits will feel a little out of place at first, so I want you to make them feel welcome."

"Sure thing, Ratchet!" Spike said confidently.

Ratchet smiled and hefted a box full of medical equipment. They loaded Optimus Prime's cargo hold with boxes, equipment, and machines that would be needed for acclimating Metroplex to earth's atmosphere. It was going to be a difficult adjustment for the new Autobots, but the humans were determined to be there for them. After all, the Autobots had been there for earth for all these years, and had always kept their human allies safe.

...

Sparkplug, meanwhile, was trying to keep his grandson Daniel from getting stepped on by some unwary Autobot. Daniel had just turned 3 years old, and he was as curious as any child is at that age. At first Sparkplug had tried to get some work done while babysitting his grandson, but soon he was chasing the toddler around and trying to warn the Autobots nearby that he was there. It was chaos!

Daniel ran past Jazz and down the hallway, and Sparkplug apologized to the black and white Autobot as he ran down the hall to chase after his wayward grandson. The two ran down first one hall and then another. Before long Sparkplug, despite living aboard the Ark for almost 20 years, was starting to feel lost. He had never gone down these corridors because this was where the Autobots kept their radioactive equipment and toxic substances.

Uh oh...Daniel was running down what the humans affectionately refer to as Death Valley. Sparkplug picked up his pace and ran after the little boy! Before long Daniel had to stop when he came to a dead end that had a single giant orange door at the end. The door was marked with Cybertronian symbols and didn't slide open when Daniel got near it; meaning it was locked.

Sparkplug grabbed the toddler before Daniel could run away again. They had to get out of here before their bodies were poisoned with something!

As Sparkplug turned to leave, he heard a noise coming from inside the door. It was low pitched, and sounded like a mechanical growl. It could've been a generator, but Sparkplug was sure it sounded like a Cybertronian. A shadow loomed over them, and Sparkplug was startled for a split-second until he realized it was just Jazz.

"Hey, guys!" Jazz said amiably as he strode over to where the humans were standing at the door, "You doin' alright?"

"Yeah, just had to get Daniel," Sparkplug said with a smile, "We better get out of here and get Ratchet to check us out. I don't want Daniel getting cancer or something."

"Good idea. I'll walk you back," Jazz offered with a friendly grin of his own.

Just as they were almost out of range, Sparkplug heard a loud noise coming from down the hallway that sounded like a roar! It was from the direction of that large door! Was it an animal? A machine? He didn't know why, but Sparkplug felt a chill run down his spine as he left. Whatever that noise was, it didn't sound happy...

* * *

The next day Sparkplug found himself helping Wheeljack move boxes of inventions and failed projects. Spike and little Daniel came back as well, but they were on the other side of the Ark. Sparkplug was tired, but he felt accomplished after everything they had done over the past week.

"Hey Wheeljack, what does this device do?" Sparkplug asked as he hefted a large orange device; clearly made using spare parts and plating from the ship.

"Oh that?" Wheeljack said as he examined the device closer, "That just a prototype for a teleportation device. I never was able to solve the time/space discrepancy issue. Oh well. I guess it's not a big deal."

Sparkplug gently placed the device in a protective casing before loading it up on the dolly. He was about to follow Wheeljack out the door when Spike rushed in with Bumblebee looking frantic and darting his eyes from one place to another as if to search for something.

"Hey, Spike. What's wrong, son?" Sparkplug asked.

"It's Daniel. I can't find him anywhere!" Spike replied worriedly, "I've asked several Autobots, and nobody has seen him!"

"We checked the rec room, Teletran 1, all the offices on C deck, and even all personal quarters that weren't locked." Bumblebee added.

"Alright son, I'll help you look," Sparkplug promised Spike.

"I'll help, too. This stuff can wait for a little while," Wheeljack said amiably.

"Alright then, let's go," Spike nodded curtly as he took off to continue his search.

...

Sparkplug had been searching for almost an hour without success. He used his cell phone to keep in contact with Spike, but neither human had seen the toddler. They knew there was all sorts of stuff the boy could get into and get hurt by. Sharp objects, giant careless robot feet, electrical sockets, etc.

They had systematically searched the Ark and most of the areas shown on the map. Sparkplug was getting desperate to find his grandson, and he remembered that the day before Daniel ran into the Death Valley hallway. He hoped he was wrong, but there was a good chance the little one could've run into that hallway again and got hurt by something toxic.

Sparkplug had to cross the other side of the Ark and go down three floors in the elevator to get to the correct hallway. Just like last time, there was nobody there. The hall was dimly lit due to its limited use, and other than the thrum of generators it was eerily quiet. Sparkplug looked down at the floor, and he saw a trail of orange cracker crumbs. Daniel had been eating peanut butter crackers, so this was likely where he went. Sighing with resignation, Sparkplug traveled on to the end of the hall.

He expected to see the locked door and Daniel playing or sleeping, but he was in for a shock. The door wasn't locked, but it was only open a crack; barely enough to admit one small human. Sparkplug was really worried now, because that room was likely where the radioactive materials were kept, and Daniel could already be passed out or disfigured from the exposure! Sparkplug didn't have proper safety gear, but it didn't matter in that moment. He had to get to his grandson!

It was a tight squeeze, and Sparkplug's generous girth wasn't helping matters, but he somehow managed to push himself through the narrow opening in the door. He noticed that while the outer halls were dimly lit, this room was pitch dark except for the light escaping through the crack in the door.

He could barely make out Daniel. The little boy was sitting on the floor chattering away and looking up at something. Sparkplug looked up too, and that's when he saw it... _red optics_. There was a pair of red optics staring back at them! He tried to see more, and could barely make out the fact that the mech was in a sitting position like Daniel. It was almost as tall as Prime even though it was sitting down! This thing had to be _huge_!

Sparkplug looked around nervously, and saw a spot on the wall that was lit up by the hallway light. There was dried energon on the wall, and it spelled out something in Cybertronian characters. There were scratches on the wall and the floor, and even exposed circuitry in the walls!

"Daniel!" Sparkplug shouted for his grandson; afraid the Decepticon would hurt him.

"Hi, Grandpa!" Daniel greeted him; blissfully ignorant of the danger.

Sparkplug ran for the boy, but stopped when the mech growled at him fiercely! He froze, and looked up at the glowing red optics. Were the Decepticons trying to steal something in this room? Did he catch the guy in the act? Was this actually a secret brig? Was it one of Wheeljack's inventions and it just looked like a Decepticon? Sparkplug didn't know what was going on, but he knew he and Daniel were in grave danger.

The mech growled some more, and Sparkplug slowly inched his way closer to the place where Daniel was standing; right near the mech's leg.

"Now listen, I don't want any trouble…" Sparkplug spoke cautiously, "I just want my grandson back, and I promise I'll leave you alone. Just don't hurt the boy, okay?"

The mech watched him move closer to Daniel, but didn't seem inclined to make a move beyond that. Sparkplug was almost to Daniel, but then suddenly, the mech reached a clawed metal hand out and grabbed Sparkplug!

Sparkplug felt the air venting from the mech's body as he was pulled closer to it! He could see the sharp teeth, felt the pressure being applied to his body as it squeezed, and saw the crazed look in the Decepticon's red optics! He was trapped, and he was doomed!


	2. Downfall

_Author's Notes: Well, the chapter isn't long, but it's mostly just a segue into the rest of the story. Still, I'm happy with the way it turned out (the first part anyway). Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favorited, and followed this story so far! I love to make my readers happy, and hopefully this story will do that :)_

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Chapter 2

Downfall

Sparkplug struggled in the giant mech's death grip, but after a moment he couldn't even move due to the intense pressure! He was sure this monster was going to crush the life out of him, and his thoughts turned to his grandson still on the ground below him and to his son who was still somewhere in the Ark. What would happen to them if this monster got free?

The mech's grip then loosened ever so slightly. It was still tight, but Sparkplug didn't feel like he was going to pass out anymore. He looked up at the beast, and saw its yellow face plate with black helm and face mask. He looked and saw that the mech had a mixture of black, yellow, and orange coloring. He couldn't tell what it turned into, but it was covered in curving spikes and scrapes from various minor injuries.

The mech seemed to study him for a moment before taking its other hand and gently plucking a human-sized data pad from Sparkplug's back pocket. The mech then put him down and shuffled over to the other side of the dark room. That was when Sparkplug heard the rattling of chains, and saw that the mech's pedes were chained to the floor. He was surprised the Autobots didn't use energon restraints, but then again the power didn't seem to work in this room, so in that respect the archaic method made sense.

 _Hm...So if I manage to get Daniel and me out the door, then the monster won't be able to chase us…_ Sparkplug thought as he waited for the mech to turn his back on them.

The red-optic mech, however, was watching them intently even as he opened his digit and produced a small needle to write on the tiny tablet. Sparkplug didn't want to stare at the mech, but he found it difficult to look away. It was dripping energon from several different cuts on its body, and it was chained in here like an animal! What did this Decepticon do that was so bad that the Autobots didn't even trust the humans to know it was here?

Finally, after a minute, the mech finished with the pad and handed it back to Sparkplug. He took it warily; never taking his eyes off the mech. Just as all seemed to be calm, Sparkplug saw the beast reaching for Daniel! Sparkplug ran to shield the boy, but didn't make it in time!

To his relief, he saw that the black and orange mech was merely petting the boy's head with a finger. Sparkplug sighed in relief, but still didn't take his eyes off the strange mechanoid.

"Heehee!" Daniel laughed happily; oblivious to the danger he was in, "Growly funny!"

Sparkplug didn't see what was so funny about this, and he didn't know how the mech would respond to being called _Growly_ , but the Decepticon didn't seem to mind. It raked its claws along the floor and made marks in a substance that was clearly dried energon. It covered the floor like a coat of paint! Sparkplug didn't know where so much energon could've even come from!

The mech turned away from them then, and proceeded to use his finger to cut himself at the base of a joint in his arm! The energon poured steadily, and the mech used it to draw on the walls! He drew a picture of two little figures and one big one. It was himself, Sparkplug, and Daniel. He wrote something under it, but the writing was in Cybertronian and beyond Sparkplug's ability to read. It was disturbing, but the mech cutting itself at least solved one question.

Realizing this might be their only chance, Sparkplug took Daniel and quietly left the room. They couldn't close the door due to the controls being too high above them, so Sparkplug just hoped the chains and the rest of the door would hold.

* * *

Later that day, Sparkplug found himself working with Ratchet in the medbay. The events in the Death Valley room still rattled Sparkplug, but when he went to Prowl about it he was assured that the Autobot would look into the situation and prevent any future mishaps. The way Prowl had spoken had been typical of the methodical logical mech, but something about his answers seemed evasive.

At the time Sparkplug hadn't even thought to ask about the data pad. When Sparkplug got the data pad back from the red-optic mech it had Cybertronian writing on it, and Sparkplug would need Teletran 1 to translate it for him. Maybe then he would have some answers as to what that thing was and what it was doing in the bowels of the Ark.

He rushed through the work he was doing for Ratchet so he could get to Teletran as quickly as possible. He had to know what that mech wrote! It could be anything from ransom demands to a plea for help. He didn't know what that metallic beast was, and Prowl was surprisingly reluctant to tell him.

It was evening by the time Sparkplug made it to Teletran 1. He started by having the Autobot supercomputer scan the data pad to get a visual, and then asked it to translate the Cybertronian into English, which was only one of hundreds of languages Teletran had on file,

When Teletran 1 finished scanning, the words that were displayed on the data pad turned out to be: **My name is Downfall**.

"Downfall? Who is that?" Sparkplug asked to himself, "Hm...Better type it in."

Sparkplug typed in the name Downfall to see if Teletran 1 had any matches to either Autobots or Decepticons. Sure enough, a file came up, but it was password protected and Sparkplug didn't know the password. He thought of what type of password Prowl would use, and thought that maybe Prowl would use a string of numbers. Then again, if _Jazz_ was the one who programmed the password…

Sparkplug typed in 'ThisIsNotAPassword' and was immediately granted access to the secret file. According to the data, Downfall was a Decepticon that was manufactured by Shockwave. He was an experiment designed to produce ten times the energy a normal spark could produce. At first Sparkplug thought this meant he was stronger, but soon he realized that the truth was much weirder than that. Downfall made his own energon!

The Decepticon was powerful, but his real value to the Decepticons and eventually the Autobots was his ability to make energon without outside help. He was designed to help aid the energy crisis on Cybertron and force all Cybertronians to be dependent on Megatron for energy. The Autobots apparently captured Downfall to prevent him from aiding Megatron in winning the war.

"I don't understand…" Sparkplug muttered under his breath, "Why wouldn't the Autobots just tell me? I'd understand. They were just trying to keep their people safe from Megatron. Still, when did they capture him, and why didn't we notice? How long do they plan on keeping him locked up like that?"

The Decepticon's behavior was also somewhat of a puzzle. He was huge, he was scary, and he could kill the humans with a finger. He could've terminated them when he had the chance, but he didn't. Downfall sat in a dark room chained up and drawing on the walls with his own life's blood. He petted little Daniel and treated him gently, and he used a data pad to try to introduce himself when Sparkplug didn't understand him. Was he really as dangerous as appearances made him out to be?


	3. Skeletons In The Closet

_Author's Notes: Wow, this is the third fic I've managed to update today! I don't remember the last time I had this much time to work on my fanfics! Anyway, this is just a short chapter to let you know Behind The Door is no longer on hiatus! I'm going to try to evenly devote time to all of my incomplete fanfics, though Rumble & Frenzy Vs. Everything will probably be updated the least since that's where I write jokes that fit a road trip formula, and those are harder to come up with on a regular basis. Oh well, enough of me rambling. Enjoy the fic and please review :)_

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Chapter 3

Skeletons In The Closet

In the Death Valley room deep within the underbelly of the Ark, a lone figure sat in the dark and watched the beam of light with interest. It was only a crack in the door, but it was more than the mech had seen in eons. Downfall watched to see if the Autobots would notice. It felt like an orn, maybe two, since there had been another being in this part of the ship.

The trap door to the upper levels opened, and down came empty energon cubes on the narrow dumbwaiter. He would need to bleed for them again. If Downfall didn't give them what they wanted, he knew that the pain would return. He reopened the cuts and let his energon flow down into the cubes for his cruel captors.

When his task was finished, the cubes went back up the shaft the way they came. He turned away then and went to his wall. The pictures guided him by helping him remember all he had seen. There were notes, images, and scribbles that made sense to no one but their creator. Downfall looked at one of his latest image, the image of the small ones.

Were they real? Did they actually come to him? He wondered if he made them up. It wouldn't be the first time his processor glitched on him due to the sheer loneliness.

If they were real, then Downfall wanted them to return. If he imagined them, then he wanted them to reappear in his mind. His imagination could be merciless, but at least it was something to keep him company.

* * *

It had been a couple weeks since the incident in the Death Valley room. The fact that the Autobots were hiding a Decepticon prisoner bothered Sparkplug, but he didn't know the proper way to bring it up without sounding like he was accusing them of something. The Autobots were his friends, and he didn't want to offend them. He was sure that they had a good reason for this. He just needed to find out what it was.

At first he thought about going to Optimus Prime about it, but Optimus was busy with the move from the Ark to Autobot City and Sparkplug didn't want to bother him with this. He thought about it, and decided that Jazz would probably know the answers. After all, Jazz was a pretty easygoing mech, and he knew everything that went on in the Ark. Sparkplug still remembered when Megatron turned the Autobots evil and Jazz saved his life when Bluestreak tried to kill them. It was still weird that sweet innocent Bluestreak had ever tried to hurt them.

Sparkplug rang the buzzer and waited for Jazz to let him in. Soon enough the black and white Porsche himself was standing in front of the door with a big placid grin on his face.

"Hey, Sparkplug my man! Come on in," Jazz stepped aside so Sparkplug could enter the room, "I've just been packin' up my stuff for the trip. Pretty crazy that soon I'll be heading off to Moon Base 2. Man, I'm gonna miss this place."

"Yeah, and we're all gonna miss having you here," Sparkplug said empathetically, "I'm sorry to bother you, but something's been bugging me for a while and I was hoping you could help me figure something out."

"Sure, Sparkplug. Lay it on me," Jazz replied good-naturedly.

"Well, a couple weeks ago I lost Daniel again," Sparkplug started.

"Oh, yeah! I remember that," Jazz interrupted, "Wheeljack told me all about it. Said Spike was beside himself worryin' about him."

"Yeah, no need to worry though. He wasn't hurt," Sparkplug said reassuringly, knowing what he said next might alarm his friend, "However, he walked into the radioactive hallway. When we were there, we found something. Well, more like _someone_."

"Yeah? Who?" Jazz asked innocently.

"Downfall," Sparkplug said simply, "The door was open a crack, and Daniel ran in there with that overgrown barb-wire chia pet. He didn't hurt us, but I'm pretty sure we were just lucky. I looked it up later, and found out you've been holding that thing in the brig since before you left for earth. That's 4 million years you've had a Decepticon prisoner on the Ark. I'm sure you have a good reason, but I still want to know why."

"No you don't," Jazz replied; all traces of feigned ignorance gone, "Trust me, the less you know about this one, the better."

"What do you mean?" Sparkplug asked warily.

"Oh, nothin' man, nothin'. Just forget the whole thing," Jazz said easily.

"You expect me to just forget that there's a mutant Cybertronian on your ship?" Sparkplug asked incredulously.

"Yeah, I expect you to forget…" Jazz's smile took on a more sinister quality then, and Sparkplug felt his stomach drop as he realized what was happening.

Jazz grabbed Sparkplug before the man had a chance to run away! Jazz transformed around Sparkplug, and soon the man found himself strapped into the back seat of Jazz's car mode. He wanted to scream for help, but the seatbelt was over his mouth, and he doubted the Autobots would believe him over Jazz anyway.

They drove for a few minutes in the hallways of the Ark until they made it to the medbay, where Ratchet was still packing for the trip to Cybertron.

"Hey Ratchet, I need you over here for a second!" Jazz called out to the doctor.

"Oh, now what?" Ratchet snapped, "You didn't come down here just so I could help you open your disc port again, did you? I told you to replace it!"

"No, Ratchet. I'm here because Sparkplug needs emergency surgery," Jazz said in a serious tone of voice, "He saw Downfall."

"Oh?" Ratchet asked in mild surprise, "I'm surprised you didn't just kill him."

Sparkplug gulped when he heard just how glibly Ratchet said that, as if this sort of thing happened all the time. He couldn't believe what was happening. This wasn't Jazz. This wasn't his friend who listened to music gleefully and worked hard everyday to protect the rights of the people of earth. This had to be Megatron's work! There was no way this was the real Jazz…

"I didn't wanna kill him," Jazz replied just as casually, "It's his first offense, after all. Besides, that's what you're here for."

Ratchet sighed sharply and said "Fine! Just strap him to the table and I'll get to it when I'm finished packing this box."

"No! Wait! You don't have to do this!" Sparkplug shouted desperately, "I don't know why this secret is so important to you, but I'll keep it. You Autobots have always been good to me, my family, and the people of earth. I'm willing to trust your judgment now. Let's just forget this ever happened. Okay?"

Sparkplug held his breath and hoped that his friends would reconsider whatever it was they wanted to do to him. This felt like some weird alternate reality. How could the Autobots, the defenders of the weak and lovers of goodness, really consider harming him over this? What was Downfall that they felt this secret was so dire? He only hoped their friendship would overrule any conspiracies.

"Sorry Sparkplug," Jazz replied stoically, "It's too late. Don't worry though, you'll be alright. You just need to have a little procedure done."

Jazz then held Sparkplug down and taped him to the berth. Sparkplug tried to escape but it was useless. He was trapped, and those he thought were his friends had suddenly turned on him.

Ratchet came over after a few minutes and was holding a laser scalpel. Ratchet's expression was that of a put-upon employee as he milled around and prepared to operate on Sparkplug.

"Ratchet, don't do this to me," Sparkplug pleaded; his voice shaking, "I have a son, a grandson...They need me. I'll never mention Downfall again. I promise."

"Of course you won't," Ratchet said lightly, "After the surgery you won't even remember you saw him. I'm just going to remove a few bits of brain matter to make you forget the past few days. The procedure is perfectly painless, and you should maintain most of your brain function. Well, at least I hope you do. I would hate to lose a good mechanic to human curiosity."

" _No_!" Sparkplug shouted as he began to struggle in earnest, "This is insane! You're a _maniac_! You can't do this to me!"

"Calm down, Sparkplug," Ratchet ordered, "Getting excited will only make my job more difficult, and could be disastrous for you."

Sparkplug watched with dread as the scalpel came closer to him. Ratchet hadn't even bothered to shave his head! This mech obviously knew nothing of human anatomy and had no business operating on him. Then again, considering how blasé Ratchet acted to the idea of killing Sparkplug, maybe he just didn't care what happened to him.

Sparkplug closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable when he suddenly heard the buzzing of the medbay's lighting system. He opened his eyes to find himself in complete darkness and he heard Ratchet and Jazz shouting at each other to get the lights turned back on.

Sparkplug started struggling again in an effort to free himself, but then he felt a large metallic hand pulling the tape away and reaching for him! He then felt the figure transform all around him into a car. Who was this? Was it Jazz? Was it Prowl? Was it someone else who wanted to hurt him? Was it someone to save him? Sparkplug was so confused, and he had no idea where this Autobot was driving or why they were going so fast down the pitch black hallways.

After what happened a moment ago though, he knew he didn't feel safe with this mech...whoever they were.


	4. Never Come Back

_Author's Notes: I've noticed that every chapter so far for this story has been short, and this chapter is no exception. I think it's because I'm writing from Sparkplug's POV. On the show Sparkplug is a straightforward and open character, so it makes sense that his thought process wouldn't be too wordy. Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys this next chapter of Behind The Door, and hopefully I can continue to update this fic at a regular pace :)_

* * *

Chapter 4

Never Come Back

The lights being out made it very difficult to see out the windows of the unknown car. Sparkplug was afraid he was going to be recaptured and taken back to Ratchet's examination table. Then again, whichever mech this was might have something even worse planned for him. He didn't know who had him, and he didn't know how long he had to live.

"Listen, I know this Downfall thing means a lot to you guys," Sparkplug tried to reason once again with the unknown vehicle, "I promise you that if I get out of this that I will never tell another soul I saw anything. Please, I have a new grandson. I've been with you Autobots through thick and thin. You know you can trust me."

"Shh!" A harsh burst of static silenced the aging human.

The car drove until Sparkplug saw the entrance to the Ark. Were they going outside? Was he actually going to be allowed to get out of this alive? He could only hope.

"Get down!" The Autobot whispered abruptly.

Sparkplug didn't ask questions. He knew his only chance was to do as he was told to prove he was still with them, so he ducked down under the dash of the passenger seat. He then realized just how small this car was. It had to be one of the minibots. He could hear Autobots working all around him. He could see the sunshine. They were outside, and the Autobots were still busy moving their stuff.

Sparkplug waited a few minutes before he got back on the seat of the car. He looked at the dash, and instantly recognized it as belonging to Bumblebee.

"Bumblebee? You saved me?" Sparkplug asked gratefully, "Thank you so much. I hope I didn't get you into too much trouble."

"Sparkplug...Is it true?" Bumblebee asked softly, "Did you really see Downfall?"

Sparkplug gulped. If he lied then Bumblebee might find out and take him back to the others. Then again, if he was honest Bumblebee might turn him back in to Ratchet anyway. He didn't see a way out of it, so he figured he might as well tell the truth.

"Yes Bumblebee, I saw Downfall. I know all about how you stole him from the Decepticons to keep them from using him for evil," Sparkplug explained, "You don't have to worry about me though. I won't tell anyone what I saw. I'm sure you have your reasons for keeping him on earth."

There was a tense silence between the two, but then...

"You can't come back to the Ark anymore," Bumblebee said firmly, "And you shouldn't go to Autobot City either. When Optimus finds out about this, you'll be a wanted man. I'll tell them I took care of you, but you have to stay away from us forever. I'm sorry, but this is all I can do to protect you. You and your family have always been good to us, and Spike is my best friend. I wouldn't do this otherwise."

Another pregnant pause passed between the Autobot and human before Bumblebee spoke again.

"I can't believe you actually survived Downfall," Bumblebee said in amazement.

"I think Ratchet was the more immediate threat," Sparkplug said half-jokingly, but then became gloomy again once he realized it was true.

"You don't understand. Downfall is _crazy_ ," Bumblebee explained, "That's why he's kept in isolation. Technically he's a Cybertronian, but Shockwave messed with his body and mind. Now he's nothing more than a savage beast with wandering thoughts and dark desires. There aren't many mechs that can keep him under control. If we didn't need him he would've been offlined long ago."

" _Need him_? What do you need him for?" Sparkplug asked; but then regretted it when he remembered where his curiosity got him last time, "Um, never mind. It isn't that important. Forget I asked."

"You might as well know. Maybe then you'll understand," Bumblebee replied, "Do you remember when we first came to earth fifteen years ago, and Optimus told you the governments of the world agreed to give us energon in exchange for protecting your people from the Decepticons?"

"Yeah…" Sparkplug said hesitantly; certain he didn't like where this was going.

"Well, that wasn't true," Bumblebee confessed, "The only reason we never run out of energon is because of Downfall. Because of him we don't have to take it from your people, and we don't have to starve while the Decepticons raid your planet dry. Downfall's energon has kept us alive for fifteen years, and will continue to do so until we can replenish Cybertron. So you see why we can't afford to have the Decepticons know he's on board the Ark. If my teammates know you're alive, they'll kill you, so _please_ leave town as soon as you can. I'm so sorry this had to happen."

"So am I," Sparkplug said dejectedly.

This was a lot for Sparkplug to work through. The way Bumblebee spoke about it made the whole thing seem shady. Even the scout sounded apologetic and sorrowful about what they did to that deranged creature. Sparkplug also understood though that this was their survival that was at stake. Still, they were crating and bleeding a mentally ill Cybertronian for food. They were treating one of their own kind like a cow. A cow that had to give blood instead of milk.

This also changed how Sparkplug saw the Autobots as a whole. He always thought of them as the good guys fighting against the evil Decepticons. Now he saw that they were just as blood guilty as their enemies. Both side had committed horrible atrocious acts in the name of their faction.

Bumbebee pulled up to Sparkplug's house, and the man got out and took a deep breath as he stood in front of his driveway. Apparently the Autobots weren't the only ones who had to move now.

"Bumblebee, thank you for saving me. No matter what has happened, I still think you're a good bot," Sparkplug told him sincerely, "I'm glad you're Spike's friend. Keep him safe for me, will you?"

"Of course, Sparkplug," Bumblebee promised, "Have a safe journey."

With those words Bumblebee took off down the road. Sparkplug went inside his house and shut the door behind him. Once he was alone, he slumped down onto the floor and took in a shuddering breath. His hands were shaking, and it was everything he could do to keep from falling apart completely. He knew he had to pack, but first he had to regain his composure.

* * *

Sparkplug had finished packing his clothes and some food for the road. He decided he would leave most of his furniture. It would look suspicious if the Autobots showed up and found a U-Haul truck parked out front.

This was going to be rough for him. First of all he would have to leave his stuff behind and move to some unfamiliar town far away. He also had to drive his pickup truck, and since he had gotten used to riding around in Autobots he wasn't sure how well his driving reflexes worked anymore. The hardest part though, was that he would have to leave Spike, Carly, and Daniel behind. He couldn't even tell them he was leaving or where he was going.

 _Daniel_...Wait, Daniel! His grandson saw the monster too! The Autobots would eventually figure out that Daniel saw Downfall as well, and then they would kill his 3 year old grandson! He couldn't let that happen!

It was a painful decision to make, but he had to do it. He would have to tell Spike he was taking Daniel on an outing...and then kidnap his own grandson and never come back. It was illegal, and it would break his son's and daughter-in-law's hearts, but it was the only way he could keep the boy safe from the Autobots. He never thought he'd have to keep _anyone_ safe from the Autobots.

With grim resolution, Sparkplug dialed the number for Spike's cell phone.

"Hey Dad," Spike said jovially when he picked up.

"Hey, son!" Sparkplug managed to fake a cheery voice, "I was wondering if you would mind if I took Daniel to this new exhibit I saw at the aquarium today. I'm bored here at home and wanna do something fun with my favorite grandson."

"Sure thing, Dad," Spike agreed unsuspectingly, "You can pick him up here at the Ark. Carly and I are still helping Wheeljack pack up some of his inventions. I'm sure Daniel will have a blast with you. Here he's just bored and getting under everyone's feet. Uh, Dad? You still there?"

 _The Ark_. If Sparkplug wanted to save Daniel, he would have to go back to the Ark to get him. He couldn't risk Spike telling anyone he was coming. He would have to sneak aboard the Ark and grab Daniel when no one else was looking.

"On second thought Spike, I think I'll wait until tomorrow," Sparkplug backpedaled, "That way we can have the whole day together. Love you son."

"Love you too, Dad," Spike said happily before he hung up.

Sparkplug dropped his phone on the floor; too drained to even bother holding it. He had one chance to rescue Daniel. He would have to infiltrate the Ark himself. He just hoped he wasn't too late.


	5. Traitor

_Author's Notes: Well, this is another one of my Moby Fics. I don't know why I have such trouble getting to this one, but I finally wrote a chapter now! Hooray! There will probably be one more chapter after this one. Behind The Door was never intended to be a long story, and yet I still had trouble writing in this fic! Oh well, I still think it's a good idea even if the idea is actively running away from me ^_^'_

 _Anyway, I just want to thank all of my readers for being so patient with me on this one. You're a great audience :)_

* * *

Chapter 5

Traitor

Bumblebee walked into Prowl's office with a carefully controlled neutral expression on his face plate. Just as he had expected, Jazz was in the office with Prowl, and Ratchet was sitting off to the side in a chair muttering about how put-upon he was because of lack of security.

"I'm tellin' ya I've got everybody on this!" Jazz snapped at Prowl defensively, "Red Alert says there are cameras all over the exterior of the Ark. If that human so much as _sneezes_ we'll know."

"I seriously wish we could just fire Wheeljack," Prowl said in an exasperated tone of voice, "If he had just fixed the brig door when we told him to fix it this never would've happened. Now I have mechs venting down my neck cables because they believe I'm the one to blame! Without Optimus here I am in charge, and our entire operation is under threat because of a single human. Do you understand what the governments of this planet are capable of? Do you know what they will do to us if they find out about Downfall? Do you know what Megatron will do?"

Jazz was clearly peeved at being dressed down by Prowl, but he didn't say a word. He had nothing to say. He and Ratchet were responsible for allowing Sparkplug to get away. How he got away they still didn't know. It had been too dark to see clearly. All Jazz knew for sure was that he had failed to take care of the problem.

"Sir, permission to speak?" Bumblebee requested once he saw a lull in the conversation.

"Proceed," Prowl replied dryly.

"Sir, I located and terminated Sparkplug," Bumblebee lied, "I set my weapon on vaporize so that there will be no trace of his body. If anyone asks, he's on vacation. I learned somewhere that older humans like to go on retirement vacations, so it's a good ploy."

"That was a timeshare presentation, Bumblebee," Ratchet reminded him, "Humans advertise undesirable slag all the time. Are you sure this will work?"

"I'm sure, Ratchet," Bumblebee replied with conviction, "The point is Sparkplug is gone and can never disrupt our base again. All I ask is that you keep Spike, Carly, and Daniel out of this. They saw nothing, and they know nothing of Downfall. They will not be a threat to us."

Prowl seemed to consider Bumblebee's words carefully. Bumblebee hoped their SIC bought his story so that Sparkplug would be safe. He figured that if he mentioned his other humans friends that it would be a believable motive for him killing Sparkplug. If this didn't work, Bumblebee didn't know what he would do.

"That seems like a fair proposal," Prowl finally acquiesced, "We will never speak of this again, and Spike and his family do not need to be involved. Everyone is now dismissed from my office. I have a lot of work to catch up on before Metroplex gets here. Please leave."

"Thank you, Prowl," Bumblebee said gratefully before he left.

Jazz and Ratchet left as well. Jazz still felt like a failure, but at least the job was done. Ratchet thought this whole thing was a waste of time and resources, and he wished they would quit bothering him with such things.

As Bumblebee walked down the hall his thoughts turned to Sparkplug. Wherever the man was, Bumblebee just hoped Sparkplug could make a new life for himself and find a way to be happy again. The yellow beetle wished he could speak to him again, but it wasn't possible. Sparkplug was probably hundreds of miles away by now...

* * *

Sparkplug crawled through a window and landed inside the Ark's main training room. It was nowhere near where he wanted to be, but it was a start. All he had to do was find Daniel and get out of here alive and they were home free.

Sparkplug wasn't exactly the most athletically gifted man on the planet, but he hid and ducked around corridors and behind objects so quickly that he surprised himself. He grunted a few times and feared someone would hear him and investigate, but so far they hadn't noticed him.

It felt very surreal to be hiding from the Autobots. Just the day before these were his best friends in the world and he would've trusted them with his life. Now he knew he couldn't trust any of them, and it terrified him more than the Decepticons ever did. He wished he could tell Spike what was going on, but he couldn't risk his son knowing information that could get him killed. No, Sparkplug was on his own.

He made his way down a hall that was deserted. Sparkplug started running now that he was sure his footfalls wouldn't be heard by unwanted audio receptors. He huffed out air as he tried to keep his breathing level. Yeah, he _definitely_ wasn't made for this anymore. Poor Sparkplug wasn't even down the hall yet and he was already winded. He moaned softly and wondered when he got so fat and old.

He had to stop when he heard footsteps coming from in front of him! Sparkplug had no place to hide and no place to run! Desperate, the mechanic pressed himself against the wall and hoped he was small enough to avoid detection.

Ironhide strolled casually down the hallway on his way to the training room when he caught sight of Sparkplug pressed against the wall looking up at him like he was being mugged by the red mech. Ironhide hadn't heard about the Downfall debacle, so he was naturally confused about this sudden wariness.

"Hey Sparkplug, everythin' okay pal?" Ironhide asked cordially.

Sparkplug had no words. He knew he was caught. If Ratchet could lobotomize him then who knew what a powerful warrior like Ironhide could do? Sparkplug sighed heavily and stepped away from the wall toward Ironhide with an expression of pure defeat.

"Hey, come on Sparkplug, you can tell me," Ironhide said encouragingly, "I know somethin's botherin' you. What is it?"

"You don't know?" Sparkplug asked; confused.

"Uhhhh…" Ironhide tried to think about his past few conversations with the humans. Maybe they had said something and he just forgot. He knew Carly was having issues with her mother over some minor something-or-other that Ironhide had trouble following when they discussed it. Spike was doing fine, and of course Daniel was fine. What was the problem? "Uh...Did I forget a human holiday or somethin'?"

Sparkplug actually laughed despite the terror of his situation. Ironhide wasn't stupid by any means, but Sparkplug also knew the older mech had trouble keeping human customs straight sometimes. It actually made Sparkplug feel a little better to see someone acting normally around him again.

"It's not important, Ironhide," Sparkplug finally said, though that wasn't entirely true, "Listen, I'm looking for my grandson. Have you seen him?"

"Sure, I can take you right to him," Ironhide said with a smile, "Hop on, buddy."

Ironhide leveled his hand to the ground so Sparkplug could climb on, and together they walked down the corridor. Sparkplug was feeling at ease for the first time all day. Ironhide was content to walk with the human in silence, but that was soon disturbed when he got a comm signal from Red Alert.

/Ironhide, I see you and Sparkplug on the security monitors,/ Red Alert said with an accusing tone of voice.

/Yeah, so?/ Ironhide asked; slightly annoyed by the paranoid mech's intrusion.

/Open the latest security protocols,/ Red Alert ordered, /You will find that Sparkplug is a wanted alien./

/What!? Now why would anyone do a fool thing like label Sparkplug an enemy?/ Ironhide asked incredulously.

/Because he has been recruited by the Decepticons,/ Red Alert replied sharply, /He is now a traitor and a Decepticon sympathizer! Follow my current coordinates and bring Sparkplug there. I will deal with him myself. Red Alert out./

Ironhide was mad at the way Red Alert just dismissed him, but when he looked down at the trusting human in his hands his face fell. He had a hard time believing that after 15 years Sparkplug would suddenly betray them. What could Megatron possibly offer Sparkplug that would be good enough to betray his friends and family over? Was he working with Starscream to overthrow Megatron? Nothing added up, but the orders were clear: Sparkplug had to be dealt with, and Red Alert had jurisdiction. He sighed and turned to the right to go into the lower decks of the ship.

After a few minutes of silent walking Sparkplug began to grow uneasy. He knew this part of the ship, and being here did not bode well for the human.

"What are we doing down here?" Sparkplug demanded to know.

"Sorry Sparkplug, but I just got a comm from Red Alert, and he wants to ask you a few questions," Ironhide said apologetically.

"Red Alert? What does he want with me?" Sparkplug asked, hoping it wasn't the same thing Jazz had wanted with him.

Before Ironhide could answer they had arrived at the end of the hall. Red Alert was standing in front of a very familiar cracked door, and Sparkplug could hear the roaring sounds coming from Downfall's cell. This did not bode well at all…

"Ironhide, give him to me and leave us," Red Alert ordered curtly.

"Hey, since when do you outrank me, punk?" Ironhide snapped; finally sick of Red's attitude.

"In matters of combat, I don't," Red Alert replied honestly, "But this is a security matter so therefore I am in charge. If you want to take this up with Prowl you may do so, but I already have his approval for this operation. Now, _the human_."

Ironhide growled low at the pompous emergency vehicle, but he knew he had no further say in the matter. He could feel Sparkplug's little heart beating faster, and he felt bad for the guy, but if he _was_ a traitor as everyone said then he probably deserved this. Still, it didn't make Ironhide feel any better.

Without another word, Ironhide dropped Sparkplug into Red Alert's waiting palm and left without looking back at them. He couldn't look back, or else he might break down and take the human back.

Red Alert looked down at Sparkplug with a look of triumph. Sparkplug knew then, this was really it. Jazz may have hid his feelings well, and Ratchet might be cold, but no one enjoyed hunting down threats to the Autobot cause like Red Alert. To the red and white Lamborghini Sparkplug was a virus infecting their system, and he was about to be purged.

"Red, why are we here?" Sparkplug asked in a strained voice as he tried to make sense of what was going on.

"I have good news, Sparkplug," Red Alert said with a sadistic smile. He then pressed a button, and the door closed the rest of the way; leaving not even a crack open. "We finally fixed the door!"

Sparkplug was confused. Did Red Alert bring him down here just to show him a door? Was he going to be lobotomized still? None of this made any sense.

Red Alert then opened the door all the way, and the burning light from the hall caused the unfortunate creature known as Downfall to cover his optics with his hands as he roared in pain.

Sparkplug could see the creature fully now, and it was both terrifying and pitiful. It was chained loosely to the ground by its wrists and its ankles, it was almost dragon-like in appearance except for walking on two legs instead of four. Its spikes were long, but there were plenty of areas where they had been ripped away to make him bleed energon, and his teeth looked like they belonged to a barracuda!

The black, yellow, and orange monstrosity wasn't the only thing of note though. For a moment Sparkplug could see the conveyor systems that withdrew and deposited energon cubes. Every deranged scribbling was visible with the door open as well, and there also seemed to be parts of the metallic walls that suffered from impact damage; as if the beast had rammed his head and fists against the walls repeatedly.

Sparkplug's attention was diverted when he heard Red Alert speaking in Cybertronian to the Decepticon. Downfall stared at them intently, looking first at Red Alert and then at Sparkplug, but Sparkplug couldn't read any emotion on the creature's face plate. Red Alert said something else Sparkplug didn't understand, and Downfall walked toward them as far as he could go without straining the chains and snarled ferociously.

That was when Red Alert threw Sparkplug roughly on the ground in front of Downfall! Sparkplug could feel the impact in his left shoulder and his arm! He thought it might be broken, and his head and legs hurt from the fall. He could barely breathe, and he could barely think, but Sparkplug saw the door close and the world go dark except for the glowing red optics of the feral Decepticon.

So, this was their method to get rid of him. They were going to have Downfall himself kill Sparkplug. Bumblebee's words about how unstable Downfall was came rushing back into his mind, and he only wished that Daniel would never have to endure this. The man closed his eyes, moaned softly, and waited for the beast to strike…


	6. Cover-Up

_Author's Notes: Well, I've finally finished another fic! This was my first attempt at writing something scary, though I think "Join Us" is a more refined story than this one. I'm still pretty proud of how this chapter came out though. It almost seems like tradition that my final chapter be a long one. This story was meant to play on the idea that everything you believe is a lie, because to me that is a creepy concept. I hope everyone likes this one, and I hope to read your reviews :)_

* * *

Chapter 6

Cover-Up

Downfall was staring through the crack in the door when it was suddenly slammed shut again! He snarled in dismay and shook his fetters in anger. It was the first hint of light he had been allowed in millions of years and he wanted it back! The Autobots had taken everything else! Why couldn't they just give him one little line of light?

As his thoughts drifted and his world clouded, he was suddenly blinded when the door opened all the way and an Autobot stood in the doorway! Downfall filed this under 'be careful what you wish for'. Despite his impaired vision he shambled over to where the Autobot was standing. He figured if one of his masters came in person then they must have wanted something from him. He wondered briefly if he had outlived his usefulness. He honestly almost wished he had.

"Downfall," The Autobot spoke to him in Cybertronian.

Downfall no longer remembered how to speak due to eons of confinement in dark isolation, but he could still understand what was being said if he focused really hard. The Autobot dropped something on the ground and the object grunted in pain. That was when Downfall remembered what it was: a small one.

"Downfall, kill this pest for us and you will be granted a favor," The Autobot stated.

Downfall didn't know what that meant. A favor? He would be allowed to ask for something from his masters? What on Cybertron would he want from them? They were the ones who took. He was the one who gave. It had been so long since he had been captured that he could no longer fathom anything beyond that.

Before he could even try to comprehend what was happening the door had closed again, and he was once again in darkness. The only light emanated from his own optics, and he cast that red glow directly onto the small one. It looked hurt, and it looked scared. What _was_ this thing? He knew it was an alien, but he knew nothing beyond that. There used to be two of them. Did the masters kill the other one?

The small one spoke in a panicked tone of voice, and Downfall cursed himself for not being able to translate other languages like most mechs could. He didn't want to kill the small one. It was a friend. It would keep him company forever. Maybe it would like the taste of his energon. He wanted to share with the small one.

He didn't know how to tell the poor flesh creature it was safe, so he picked it up to get a closer look at it. The little thing screamed in fear and pain, and Downfall placed his sharp claw carefully on the little being's back to comfort it. He rumbled his engine to soothe it, but that only seemed to make the small one feel worse. He needed to tell the small one it was not going to be harmed.

He settled the small alien's battered body on his leg and rubbed his digit along its arms and back. Eventually the small one calmed down, but Downfall could see it was still upset. He searched its body for something useful, and found another data pad. He took it and only hoped his limited writing skills would bridge the gap between them. He just hoped the little guy understood Cybertronian script.

Downfall took the data pad, and the small one didn't even put up a fight. It seemed like the fight had gone out of him. He wondered what the masters had done to him to hurt him so badly. He also wondered if he could do anything to fix it since the small one was his forever.

He typed out one word and hoped the small one could read it. He typed out the word _Friend_.

He gave the data pad back to the alien, and the alien spoke to him, but he didn't know if the little organic understood him. The alien tampered with the data pad for what might have been as long as 4 breems before he handed it back to Downfall. There was new Cybertronian writing on it now. Downfall had made contact!

The new text said: _My name is Sparkplug. Please help me find my…_ What was that word? Downfall had never seen that word before, and he couldn't read it. The small one needed to find something! What did he need? Was it important? Downfall roared and wondered why he had to be so stupid!

His roar scared the small one, and Downfall quickly calmed down. He tried to think of what to do next. He had been treated as nothing but an animal for ages. Having someone around who needed him to be competent was more than he could handle. Okay, he just needed to think of what he knew so far. The small one's name was Sparkplug. That was a cool name. He needed to find something. That would imply looking for something. There was nothing in this room but them. They needed to leave this room. Downfall wasn't capable of leaving the room because he was chained up. Now what?

Downfall typed again and handed it back to Sparkplug.

 _Hello Sparkplug. Help chains._

* * *

Sparkplug was surprised at how far he had gotten. When he was slammed to the ground and left alone with that giant monster he was sure he was going to die. The overgrown Decepticon beast had picked him up off the ground and handled him this way and that. It seemed fascinated by him. If only it could keep its hands to itself. Sparkplug had several broken bones and everything the mech did to him hurt, no matter how benign its intentions.

When Downfall took the data pad Sparkplug then realized it was going to try to communicate with him again. This was good. This meant Downfall didn't want to kill him right away. Maybe if they could establish a dialogue he could convince the caged up creature to help him find Daniel.

He shook his head in bemusement when he realized what he was thinking. He was going to trust a Decepticon to help him find his grandson so they could escape the Autobots. It seemed like a nightmare. It seemed like he should wake up and see that everything was back to normal. That wasn't going to happen though. This was really happening, and his only hope was an insane and dangerous science experiment. How much worse could this get?

The mech handed Sparkplug the data pad, and this was where the hard part began.

"I don't know if I can do this," Sparkplug said to Downfall, "But I'm going to try. Wish me luck, big guy."

Sparkplug wasn't a computer whiz or anything, but Spike had shown him a little bit about hacking, so he tried to remotely uplink to Teletran 1. He made it, but the old password didn't work. Jazz had changed the code! It took Sparkplug nearly 20 minutes to work around the new system and decrypt the message. It simply said: _Friend_.

"Friend. Well, that's good news, anyway," Sparkplug muttered to himself, "Okay, let's see if I can type out a message and translate it into Cybertronian…"

Sparkplug did exactly that, and he handed the data pad back to Downfall. The message said: _My name is Sparkplug. Please help me find my grandson._

He didn't know what it was about that message that upset the Decepticon, but suddenly Downfall burst out with a mighty roar! Sparkplug flinched and waited for the killing blow, but it never came. The Decepticon seemed to calm down as quickly as he flared up, which only served to remind Sparkplug of how unpredictable his new cellmate was.

The beastly mech started typing again, and Sparkplug waited to see what Downfall wanted to say. He hoped the mech agreed to help him find Daniel. Perhaps Sparkplug could repay him somehow before he and his grandson left for their new lives away from the Autobots. He wasn't sure there was a place on earth he could hide from his formers friends, but he would have to try.

Downfall gave him the data pad, and it said: _Hello Sparkplug. Help chains._

"Help chains? What does that mean?" Sparkplug asked to himself, "Does he mean he doesn't want to help? Does it means he does? Oh, wait! How could I be so dense? He wants me to help him get those chains off his arms and legs! Hoo boy...I don't know if I can, big guy. Those cuffs are bigger than I am. I could probably fit in the hole for crying out loud! Wait, If the hole is almost big enough for me to fit inside, then I can fiddle around in there until the lock gives way! That's it!"

Sparkplug then typed a message to Downfall that said: _I will help. Show me your wrist._

Downfall read the message, smiled a jagged-toothed smile, and then did as he was told. This was the first time Downfall had felt hope in a long while. He was going to be free of his chains, and then he was going to help the small one find his...thing. Then maybe they could escape together. He wanted so badly to go back to Cybertron. He hadn't seen Cybertron in 4 million years! Maybe the small one could come with him. Maybe they could even find the smaller one that was with him before! That little thing smelled just like springtime. It seemed to like him, too.

Sparkplug looked at the lock on the cuff. It was half as tall as him, and twice as wide. He wasn't able to see too well since the only light came from the red glow of curious optics. He tried using the glow of the data pad for some extra light. That seemed to help, but he couldn't use the data pad for light and still have hands enough to work on the lock.

Downfall noticed what Sparkplug was trying to do, so he gently picked up the data pad and held it in place so Sparkplug could see. Sparkplug smiled up at the large mech and said something that Downfall was sure was a _thank you_. He had never heard one from the Decepticons or the Autobots, but he could still recognize it when he heard it. He didn't know why, but he could.

Sparkplug reached both arms inside the lock and pulled several bars apart until he heard a loud _snap_ sound, and he quickly retracted his limbs before he lost them to the falling cuff! Downfall's left wrist was free, and now it was time for Sparkplug to get to work on the others.

* * *

Bumblebee sat in Prowl's office with his optics downcast and his intakes stalled. He was in big trouble, he knew that, and he couldn't bring himself to look at Prowl. The police mech filed paperwork and ignored Bumblebee despite having specifically called him in. The waiting was part of the torture; Bumblebee just knew Prowl was doing it on purpose.

Finally, after several breems, Prowl deemed Bumblebee worthy of his undivided attention.

"So Bumblebee, when you said you took care of Sparkplug, you meant... _what_ , exactly?" Prowl asked with a harsh bite to his otherwise stoic tone.

"Please forgive me Prowl," Bumblebee requested contritely, "I didn't want to disobey orders, but the humans are my friends. Spike is my best friend, and Sparkplug is his father. How could I kill someone who is so important to my best friend? I know he's not a security risk. Sparkplug wouldn't sell us out to the Decepticons. He hates them as much as we do. He survived Downfall! Isn't that worth a little consideration? We should just let him start his life over again wherever he wants. He deserves that much after a quarter-vorn of service to us."

"That won't be possible," Prowl replied sternly, "Sparkplug tried to break into Autobot Headquarters again, and was swiftly captured by Ironhide and Red Alert. He has been thrown into Downfall's lair and has likely already been killed. If not, he will eventually die when he either dehydrates or angers the unstable Decepticon."

"This isn't right!" Bumblebee protested, "Sparkplug never did anything to deserve this! All of this to keep a secret we shouldn't have! I won't allow this to continue!"

"What are you going to do? Tell Spike?" Prowl asked pointedly, "Put your best friend in danger by telling him about Downfall? Perhaps you'd like a visit to Wheeljack or Ratchet to diagnose your major malfunction? After all, they were _very_ inspired by Downfall's condition when they realized that earth once had similarly dangerous beasts. I know, you could aid them in their attempt to upgrade their creations. Maybe donate some body parts you aren't currently using? Does that sound like a better use of your time than _doing your job_?"

Bumblebee gulped when he realized what Prowl was implying. The Dinobots had been acting very unruly lately since there had been no missions that required them. Their alt modes were based off earth dinosaurs, but their robot modes and behavior were directly inspired by the Autobots' current energon dispenser; Downfall. If Bumblebee was forced to go into the Dinobots' lair when they were angry, he probably wouldn't get out alive.

"I'll do my job, just please don't hurt Spike," Bumblebee bartered, "He, Carly and Daniel are innocents. They know nothing about Downfall, and now that Sparkplug is gone they never will."

"Very good," Prowl said with a satisfied smile, "That's what I like to hear from our special ops agents. Optimus Prime will be very proud of the job you're doing here. Now, when asked what happened to Sparkplug you will say…?"

"A Decepticon killed him," Bumblebee replied automatically; his optics hard and unyielding from vorns of training.

"If he is crushed he was killed by…?" Prowl pressed him.

"Motormaster," Bumblebee replied.

"Good. If he dehydrates?" Prowl prodded.

"He was killed by Starscream in a botched experiment," Bumblebee replied quickly.

"Excellent. If he is ripped in half?" Prowl questioned; not ready to dismiss the yellow mech until he knew Bumblebee understood their every alibi.

"Skywarp," Bumblebee replied, "And if he is vaporized he was killed by Megatron in his gun mode. Can we stop now? I don't want to think about this anymore."

"Just one more thing," Prowl said as he rifled through more data pads, "You will soon be transferred now that we have a new team for planet earth. You will be going to one of the moon bases, I forget which one at the moment. Do you want me to request an ambassador of earth be transferred there as well?"

"Yes sir," Bumblebee nodded, "Spike and his family will be safer there anyway. Thank you, Prowl. I'm sorry I gave you so much trouble."

"Dismissed," Prowl said without inflection as he continued to work.

Bumblebee left with mixed emotions. He had failed to save Sparkplug and even now the poor old man was probably bleeding to death in Downfall's chamber. Then again, he had at least succeeded in protecting Spike and the rest of his family from the same fate. At least they would never know of Downfall or the truth about where their energon came from.

* * *

Sparkplug had succeeded in unlocking the restraints on Downfall's wrists and ankle joints. When he saw the rust rings and corroding parts around the area where the bonds had once been it made Sparkplug sick. That had to be so painful for the poor mech, yet nobody seemed to care. He was left to rot like old clothes in the attic! It was a wonder this mech was as forgiving as he was. Sparkplug only hoped the Decepticon wasn't hiding his ill-intent until he was free. The seasoned mechanic didn't feel like becoming roadkill because he picked the locks on a set of bonds.

Downfall walked up to the entrance, and forced his claws into the door to try to pry it open. Sparkplug could tell this was very difficult for the depleted mech. He supposed if he was forced to give blood every single day for most of his life and live in a tiny confining room he wouldn't be too robust either.

It took ten minutes of trying, but Downfall finally had the door open! Sparkplug was glad to see light again, but the brightness hurt Downfall's sensitive optics. The human waited for the poor mech to adjust before they left together. Sparkplug only hoped he wasn't making a mistake and unleashing some sort of ultimate evil unto the world.

Downfall went down the hallway first, and Sparkplug followed closely behind him. Now that he could see Downfall in the full light, he was equal parts awed and disgusted. Downfall was an impressive mech with a height comparable to Omega Supreme, which was why he stooped down when he walked; making him look a little hunchbacked. He had many black spikes all over his yellow and orange body, and his jaws protruded like a dragon's or a dog's. His pedes had silver claws that curved into the ground as he walked, and his digits were nothing but long sharp claws like rounded knives.

The disgust came from what the Autobots had done to him. He was scarred and still bleeding all over his body. Purple streams of energon stained the floor as he walked. He was the Cybertronian equivalent of a hemophiliac, yet rather than try to help him the Autobots had used him to keep themselves alive like a bunch of greedy vampires! Sparkplug thought only Decepticons were capable of such evil.

Downfall barked incoherently to get Sparkplug's attention, and then handed Sparkplug the data pad with new writing on it that said: _Where thing?_

"Thing?" Sparkplug didn't know what that meant, so he typed out: _What thing?_

Downfall typed: _Thing you look for._

Sparkplug realized then that Downfall didn't understand that they were looking for Daniel. He didn't realize just how stunted the mech's processor truly was. He supposed in an odd way Downfall had the mindset of a toddler. A giant city-crushing energon-producing toddler.

Sparkplug typed: _We are looking for Daniel. You met him. Cannot let Autobots hurt him._

Downfall's optic ridges shot up in horror at the thought! The masters were going to hurt his organic sparkling? No! He couldn't let that happen! He would take the small ones to Cybertron! He could protect them there. He had Sparkplug. All he had to do was find the one called _Da-ni-el._ That name was going to be so hard to remember!

Downfall started peeling back doors on the lower level and searching for any small organics that might be Daniel. Sparkplug would go inside and search since Downfall was too big to fit inside most rooms, but neither one was able to locate him on that level. Well, that wasn't too surprising. They would have to find a way to the upper level to search for the boy.

Sparkplug typed: _I'll go up the elevator. When I find Daniel, I'll bring him down to you. Stay hidden._

Downfall had trouble understanding the word _elevator_ , but he understood that he was supposed to hide while Sparkplug searched for Daniel. He searched for a place where they could part ways, but before they could even make it to the elevator their pathway was blocked by a familiar black and white Autobot…

"Hey Sparkplug," Jazz said in a deceivingly friendly tone, "I see you and Downfall are tryin' to boogie on outta here. That ain't too smart, if you ask me."

"How could you do this to him?" Sparkplug asked; finally tired of playing this game, "Downfall is a mech just like you, and yet you treat him like some kind of tool to be used and abused however you wish! Isn't Optimus the one who always says freedom is the right of all sentient beings? Well, what about _him_?" Sparkplug shouted as he pointed to Downfall.

"That ain't no sentient bein'," Jazz replied callously, "That's just another one of Shockwave's warped inventions. Now thanks to you I have'ta corral him back to his cell."

"Don't you dare hurt him!" Sparkplug screamed at his former friend.

Jazz then pulled a remote out of subspace, and Downfall flinched back as he recognized the insidious device the saboteur held. Jazz pushed the button, and a suffocating pain forced its way into Downfall's spark! He fell back against the wall and his spikes got caught in the smooth orange metal! His energon splattered all over the walls and the ground, and his vision became blurry from the intense pain! His pedes kicked in protest until he was finally out of the wall, and his intakes hypervented from his suffering.

"Return to your cell," Jazz intoned in Cybertronian, "The pain stops when you are safe in your cell. Go now."

Downfall couldn't resist the siren call of relief from his agony. He ran as quickly as he could back to the dark hole he was forced to call home. He only hoped his masters would give him back his small ones. He would never let Sparkplug out of his sight if he could just be allowed to have him again.

"Jazz, I just figured something out," Sparkplug said in an eerily calm tone of voice, "Downfall isn't the monster around here. You are. You and everyone who enforces the cruel treatment of that poor mech. I don't care if he is a Decepticon, he's as much a mech as you are, and yet you treat him worse than a criminal."

"Oh trust me on this one Sparkplug, we treat our criminals _way_ worse," Jazz replied nonchalantly, "Speakin' of which, since you're our friend, I'm gonna let you off easy."

"What are you talking about?" Sparkplug asked skeptically.

The grim answer didn't come in words. Sparkplug suddenly felt a burning pain all over his abdomen! He barely had time to register that something was wrong before he fell. He was dead before he even hit the ground; a gaping wound all along his lower torso.

Bluestreak had snuck up behind Sparkplug and shot him dead; his aim was true as always. He looked down sadly at the human he had once called friend. He didn't want to do it, but he was a sniper; it was his job.

"Hey Bluestreak, which Decepticons use weapons similar to yours?" Jazz asked casually; not acknowledging the dead human at his pedes.

"Rumble and Frenzy both have identical pistols to mine," Bluestreak replied distantly; still looking down at the prone and scorched form of Sparkplug.

"Alright then," Jazz nodded, "We tell Spike and Carly that Sparkplug was killed when he caught Rumble tryin' to sneak into the building, and the minicon shot him dead."

"Yes, sir," Bluestreak replied obediently; unwilling to question a mech as dangerous as his superior.

Jazz walked away, and Bluestreak scooped up the body of Sparkplug. The hallways were painted red and purple due to the blood and energon. Bluestreak couldn't help but be reminded of the red Autobot sigil and purple Decepticon sigil. It seemed fitting, since the bloodshed of the war had made them all the way they were now, and was the reason yet another good friend had to die.

* * *

It was three days after the death of Sparkplug. Spike and Carly were at the funeral, as were several Autobots who had been close to the old mechanic. Wheeljack knew he should be there. Sparkplug had been one of his best friends, a kindred spirit in the field of mad science. Wheeljack didn't feel like he could be there though. He felt so guilty about not figuring out what had happened until it was too late. He would've helped Bumblebee save their friend if he had just been given the chance.

Instead the Lancia had volunteered to babysit Daniel at his new lab in Autobot City. Spike and Carly were afraid he would get fussy during the services and felt he would be happier with Wheeljack instead. It made the Autobot happy to help. He loved the little tyke. He had always loved sparklings, even though his job made it too dangerous to have children in the conventional way.

Daniel sat on the counter drawing a picture with his crayons as Wheeljack polished one of his more successful inventions. He would have to get more things out of the Ark before he would feel completely settled in his new lab, but so far everything was going smoothly.

"Woojak!" Daniel called up to Wheeljack, "I drew for you!"

"Aw, isn't that sweet?" Wheeljack gushed as he examined the picture, but his joy turned to dread when he saw the crude outline of a yellow, orange, and black mech.

"Um, Daniel, what is this supposed to be?" Wheeljack asked; not allowing his stress to show up in his tone.

" _Growly_!" Daniel exclaimed as he threw his arms up in the air cheerfully, "I drew you Growly! You like it, Woojak?"

"Uh, sure I like it," Wheeljack lied, "You're quite an artist. Hey, I think you have another sheet of blank paper. Why don't you try drawing something else now?"

"Okay!" Daniel replied compliantly.

This was bad. This was very, very bad! Daniel drew Downfall! That meant he knew about their energon beast! If Prowl or, heaven forbid, Optimus Prime found out about this then Daniel's life wouldn't be worth a spare bolt!

He had to keep Daniel from telling anyone else about this. They had already killed Sparkplug. The special ops team wouldn't be afraid to kill a human sparkling too. Wheeljack had to think of a plan to save the boy before it was too late! He failed Sparkplug, but he could still do some good here.

Then Wheeljack remembered something about human sparklings. Their memories were still glitchy at this age. In fact, this was the age when they started to imprint permanent memories, but it wouldn't be for a couple more years before it would take effect. Wheeljack just had to make Daniel forget Downfall. But how?

He thought about it until an idea began to form. Downfall was a beastly mech with spikes and a warm color palette, he lived in a dark lair that was always locked, and Daniel called him _Growly_. Wheeljack thought he had a great idea for saving Daniel as well as improving the lives of some mechs that were just as oppressed as Downfall. He just hoped his idea wasn't a foolish one.

"Hey Daniel, you wanna meet some really cool friends of mine?" Wheeljack asked as his head fins lit up excitedly.

"Who?" Daniel asked; interested.

"The Dinobots!" Wheeljack replied happily, "The Dinobots are really cool mechs, and I think they're going to love you! They've always wanted to see a human sparkling up close. Just don't say anything mean to them. Their feelings get hurt real easy."

Daniel held up his arms to request Wheeljack to pick him up, and the engineer obliged him. Together they walked toward the dark locked cell that held the five Dinobots.

For years Wheeljack had tried to get Optimus Prime to loosen restrictions on the Dinobots. Wheeljack was afraid they would never get any smarter, and might even deteriorate the way Downfall did if they stayed confined, but the Prime never budged on his position; claiming they were too dangerous. Not even Ratchet cared about their well-being! Wheeljack hated the way his creations were treated, and knew they would only grow more animalistic if they weren't treated like real mechs.

Wheeljack knew his idea was kind of selfish, but he also knew this would benefit everyone. Daniel would forget Downfall because he would assume he was just remembering Grimlock. The two were similar enough to a toddler that Daniel's mind would just supplement any information on Downfall with Grimlock, Slag, or Snarl. He would grow up being friends with the Dinobots, and if the Dinobots could grow close to someone it would prove to everyone that they could be trusted to live among real mechs. Then Wheeljack could stop treating them as drones and start treating them as the sons he had always secretly wanted them to be.

This would all work out, Wheeljack hoped. He just wished it didn't have to be paid for with Sparkplug's shed blood.

 **The End**

* * *

 _Author's Notes: You wanna know something scary? If this fic was cannon it would change absolutely nothing about the G1 series or movie. Everything would happen exactly the same way. Sweet dreams ;)_


End file.
